Student writings might provide a starting point for discussions involving issues of the family. Students react favorably to reading works by others of their own age—as long as “safeguards” are provided; allowing anonymity of the poet(s) would probably be necessary given the often emotionally charged material. I have chosen poetry as introductory material for two reasons. First, students generate poems more easily than short stories, so they are readily available. Second, I prefer that students not read stories written by peers at this point, as these stories might provide less than helpful examples, or interfere with the writing which will be required later on in the unit. I hope the resultant discussions of poetry of the family will be free-wheeling and interesting enough to cause students to want to look at the family in depth.

The short stories to be considered reflect, I believe, those issues which are of most concern to my students. The stories are: “The Kitten”, “Bill’s Little Girl”, “Miss Cynthie”, “The Runaway”, “The Father”, “The Blanket”, and “The Blues Begin”. (The unit’s stories, in general, increase in difficulty or sophistication as the unit progresses.)

The family stories at first look seem diverse; their themes appear to be disparate. They consider: the anger which may result from alienation among family members, the pure unselfish love of a parent for a child, the celebration of the love of a child for a parent, the impact of society on the family, the child as “healer”, reversed roles of children and parents, the child as extension of the parent, etc. In a sense many of these themes fit with many of these stories. In fact, all of the above speak to the primary concern of parents and children of many times and places. That is—“Exactly who is that parent (or child) I face? What are his experiences? What did he (or will he) feel when he was (is) ___ years of age? I am speaking, of course, of the generation gap, but in the broadest sense of the often misused term.

Roles in the family may change, but communication, or an understanding of one another’s life experiences remains difficult. It is perhaps this simultaneous closeness and separateness of child and parent that has intrigued, if not troubled, many writers. I suspect that students are in some way aware of “the problem”; and I feel that discussions (during introductions or endings) of each story should in some way address this general theme. Such an approach will provide the cohesiveness this unit attempts to maintain. Ultimately, one hopes, it will provide the spark for student creative writing. Universal themes encompass us all, and I imagine that we all feel rather strongly about them—that is, when we are of a mind to do so.

The following paragraphs provide the readers (other teachers) with a brief over-view of the stories mentioned. Identification and discussion of specific elements of each short story are included.

“THE KITTEN” BY RICHARD WRIGHTPlot Summary: This is a story of a boy who tries to get even with his father. The child resents his father’s authority for it is not based on a relationship of trust and communication. The father, a night porter, must sleep during the day, and therefore cannot spend much time with his son. The son feels impotent before his father’s (perceived) harsh discipline. The boy, therefore, devises a plan which will transfer impotence to the father. When told to “quiet” a kitten, the son takes his father’s words, “kill the damn thing!” literally. What follows is the impotence of the father with regard to this action, the mother’s take-over in the role of punisher/advisor, and the boy’s resultant experience of guilt.

Criticism. (Key Elements: point of view, conflict, setting)

“The Kitten” is not exactly a short story. It is a chapter from Slack Boy. Yet it works well as a short story, and is notable for its impact. Said to be autobiographical, it depicts Wright’s rage as a youngster. Wright remembers and clearly relates the anger directed toward his “remote”, “alien”, and frightening father. Yet, one must note that the story is told from a distance of time; Wright, as an adult, completes the picture.Those who read this story can understand the father’s and mother’s motivations as well as those of the son. The story is disturbing because the primary conflict between father and son is not resolved. This perhaps provides the true impact of the story. Though the setting is briefly sketched, the negative impact of society on all members of this family is clearly stated.

“BILL’S LITTLE GIRL” BY ZONA GAYLEPlot Summary: This is a story of a thirty year old widower, Sill, who despite difficulties (the awareness of his own limitations and the constant advice/harassment of a neighbor) does his best to provide for his four year old daughter, Minna. When Minna is six Bill contracts a fatal disease, and displays what might be called the “purest love” in searching for the best adoptive parents for his daughter. Minna, too young to have understood the death of her mother, is never aware of Bill’s unselfish stance in giving her up.

Criticism: (Key Elements: Characterization, theme)

Zona Gayle manages in three pages to provide adequate characterization of the seven people who appear in this story. The major characters are revealed through their actions and dialogue. Minor characters are revealed through terse descriptions which somehow manage to speak volumes. For example, Bill’s sister would not have been a suitable guardian for Minna, for she was “a tired woman”. The final sentence of the story underscores the unselfish act which Sill performs, for as his daughter (unknowingly) departs with her new adoptive parents, she is so absorbed in “looking up at the blue silk (of a parasol) that she does not remember to turn and wave her hand.”

“MISS CYNTHIE” BY RUDOLPH FISHERPlot Summary: For the first time, Miss Cynthie, a seventy year old lady, visits her grandson, Dave, in New York where he has “made good”. A religious woman, she has long prayed that the boy she raised would find some way to do the Lord’s work. She, and we, are kept in suspense for some time regarding Dave’s means of livelihood. When Dave is first revealed as the “greatest tapster of all time”, Miss Cynthie is broken-hearted, for she has always thought of the theater as the antithesis of the church. Yet, Dave (onstage, alone in the final act) through a vast display of love and respect for Miss Cynthie and the audience, is able to display the true meaning of his work. Miss Cynthie ultimately understands and accepts this as another example of the truth: “The Lord moves in a mysterious way”.

Criticism: (Key Elements: characterization, irony)

“Miss Cynthie” is the celebration of the love of a child for a parent. “Miss Cynthie” is also the painstaking sketch of a woman who displays the humor, honesty, and wisdom we’d all like to attain. Rudolph Fisher is able to capture the spirit of this woman through her thoughts, dialogue, action, and the way other characters respond to her. Thus, she becomes real and unforgettable for the reader. One of my favorite interactions of the story occurs at its beginning with the following conversation between Miss Cynthie and a redcap:—C: “Always like to have sump’m in my hand when I walk. Can’t never tell when you’ll run across a snake.” C: “There aren’t any snakes in the city.” C: “There are snakes everywhere, chile.” Fisher uses irony in a subtle way, for with the ending of the story, we realize that far from being a transgression, Dave’s work is, in fact, born of his grandmother; he is the product of her upbringing. He reflects her kindness, zest for living, and “oddly enough” her interests.

“THE RUNAWAY” BY MORLEY CALLAGHANPlot Summary: This story considers the plight of an adolescent, Michael, who,while sensitive about his own worth with regard to peers, is at the same time embroiled in a family conflict which centers largely on issues of concern to his step-mother. (Mrs. Lount, afraid that she has not gained the love or respect of her step-child, often accuses her husband of forming an alliance with his son and against her.) The story is composed of a series of scenes where Michael at times emerges as a winner, but more often than not appears to be confused and overwhelmed. His longing to be accepted as a man is contrasted with his father’s fate. Henry Lount, though loved and respected by his son, appears to have lost everything else—work, friends, position in the family. At one point it seems that he will commit suicide. Michael’s reaction to this threat is one of fear; and he soon realizes that he must begin/save his own life. At the end of the story Michael decides to leave the “strangling household” and the ambivalent relationships to run away to places of “ a million new faces, rumbling sounds, and beautiful names”.

Morley Callaghan manages to capture the amibivalence and difficulty of adolescence through a series of natural scenes. In effect, the plot is made up of everyday occurrences which are at once disparate, and yet form a continuum in the mind of one who is beginning to think like an adult, but at the same time, often acts like a child. (Michael is aware of his father’s despair, but can only run from it.) The story is told from the omniscient point of view with the focus on the reactions and thought processes of Michael. The reader then sees the world as Michael sees it, and it is a frightening place. The tone of the story, largely due to descriptions of fickle Nature (weather, descriptions of land, etc.),creates uneasiness or a sense of something impending.

“THE FATHER” BY BJORNSTJERNE BJORNSONPlot Summary: “The Father” has the plot of a fable. A peasant, Thord Overaas, visits his priest four times during the course of twenty-one years. The first time he asks that his son, Finn, be baptized by himself. Sixteen years later Thord pays the priest ten dollars, for Finn is to stand first (among his peers) for confirmation/ communion. Next, when the bans of the son’s impending marriage are to be published, Thord pays the priest three dollars; this is an excessive amount, but Finn is to marry the richest girl in the parish, and Thord “wants to do it handsomely”. Soon after this, father and son are involved in a boating accident, and the son loses his life. A year later, Thord visits the priest for the last time. He (Thord) is so much changed that the priest barely recognizes him. Thord has sold his farm, and presents half of its price to be given to the poor. When asked what he will now do, Thord responds, “something better”. The priest declares that the son has at last “brought a true blessing”.

Criticism: (Key Elements: plot sequence, setting, symbolism, theme.)

“The Father”, a story of pride and a misdirected life, is rich in meaning, for it makes much use of symbolism. Numbers are symbols when we realize that at age twenty-one (or the age when one becomes an adult) the son has died for his father, or become “father to the man”. When thought of as a Christian parable, the number three is important indeed, for the reader recalls the symbolism of the trinity. Certainly the title is ambiguous, for it possesses three possible meanings:Who is “the father”? The priest? Thord? The son?

“THE BLANKET” BY FLOYD DELLPlot Summary: When this story of an extended family opens, Petey (the only named character in the story) is dismayed with his father’s decision to send Granddad off to a nursing home. Petey’s father has given Granddad a blanket to take with him, and this blanket is described as warm and fine. Petey’s father is to marry a younger woman, and feels it is time to leave old ties (grandfather) behind. Petey and his grandfather spend an evening together, in the vein of many past evenings: Granddad plays his fiddle, and the old songs reflect the joys and the sorrows the family have experienced together. When the father and his fiancee return, the music stops. Petey’s future step-mother is angry that the old man has received such a fine gift, and goes off in a huff. Petey suggests that the blanket be cut into two parts. When his father questions such an action, Petey responds, “I’ll give half of it to you when you’re old, and I’m sending you away”. Petey’s father accepts this “lesson”, and three generations are once again united.

Criticism: (Key Elements: irony, symbolism, theme)

This straight forward tale of the “golden rule” succeeds, in part, because of its simplicity of theme. Floyd Dell makes good use of irony in his choice of the blanket as symbol, for with (the timing of) the giving of this gift, the qualities of warmth and fineness are negated. (This is not a “warm” or unselfish gift, but one given to assuage the guilt that Petey’s father feels.) The tone of the story changes,however, when the child becomes “teacher”, for his statement (in a paradoxical way) reflects the warmth and goodness of the grandfather—and even the father with the story’s end.

“THE BLUES BEGIN” BY SYLVESTER LEAKESPlot Summary: The tone of this story of mother, father, and son, is evident with the first descriptions of a wintry morning and a poor cold family. For the most part, the story is told from the point of view of the son, Gabriel; only once does it change to his mother’s (Mrs. Coker) point of view (thoughts). This family must contend with both inner (interpersonal) and outer (societal) stress. Relationships among the three are strained, in part, because the father, Josh, gambles away what little money he is able to earn. Gabriel hates his father, and wishes he could take his place as head of the household. When he confides some of this feeling to his mother, he is slapped. Mrs. Coker appears to experience much of the stress of the family, for she is, in effect, mother to both husband and son. When Gabriel gives a gift of stolen coal to his mother, he is once again berated by her. She cannot tolerate a gambler and thief in one household, and decides that the coal must be returned. Gabriel, at this point, remembers the jailing of a youngster for the theft of a can of sardines and a loaf of bread, and is panic-stricken. All three family members, despite almost supernatural warnings of Nature, journey to the coal yard where they are promptly arrested.

Sylvester Leakes is able to show the negative effects of society on this family in a subtle and poignant way. All three members of the family suffer, though we are most aware of the inner conflicts of the son. Readers will occasionally point out that the father’s point of view is neglected, but this is as it should be, for it reflects his position of alienation with regard to the family. Many questions are left unanswered as to the reasons for the plight of this family; yet, interactions between family members and those of the outside world seem as sterile and cold as a winter morning. The reader feels that all three family members are doing the best they can do given the hostile environment which surrounds them. Leakes captures the strengths and weaknesses of these family members through characterization (of dialogue, action, and thought); these are people with whom we can identify, and will remember. The tone of the story, as mentioned, is reflected in descriptions of nature; Nature is both fickle and constant. Characters’ strengths become weakness. Life is a paradox; the blues have no beginning and no end.